Hanru Sazuki

Hanru Narrating: Kaito was many things to me- an obstacle, a rival, a teacher, an enemy, a friend. Kaito and I are similar beings, yet, he has been sucked into the abyss of darkness, and I have been chosen to stay in the light. Neither of us had a choice in the matter, to choose which side to be on. Either way, we are both the same. At some point, we wanted to kill each other, but the truth has been revealed to me that Kaito is only evil because of his demon of control. Now that his demon is going away, I can see past the dark haze and the path of truth and light is seen. Kaito is a victim of what he is consumed by. I can guide him pass the haze of his dark world and into the clouds of light. He must be willing to grab the hand I reach out to him and trust me. Now that he has no control and he hit rock bottom, I can see he does have some good in him. Kaito has not yet accepted the fact that he has no control over his life. If I help him understand that, he will be able to see pass the haze of darkness and find his way to me.

(Hanru reaches his hand out to Kaito.)

Kaito: What, are you offering me a handjob?

Hanru: I’m offering you a chance to be saved, Kaito.

Kaito: You’re head must be lost in the clouds, son. Did you forget my hands are chained to a wall?

Hanru: (Grins) Maybe I’m just teasing you because I can move my arms and you can’t.

Kaito: (Chuckles) You’re too much of a little power-puff girl to do something so mean.

Hanru: I see your darkness, Kaito. All I ask, is you let me guide you out.

Kaito: You’ve been watching too much anime. Have you seen Kiyo Nakamoto?

Hanru: Maybe you haven’t been watching enough anime, Kaito. The good guys always win in the end.

Kaito: I DON’T CARE! You either kill me or you don’t! Do not let me sit here and listen to you yapping all day!

Hanru: Fine.

(Shido steps out of the shadows beside Kaito and Hanru.)

Shido: Hanru, you wish to SAVE Kaito; even after everything he’s done? (Paces back and forth) Kaito shot and killed teenage girls at a pool, in cold blood, murdered several police officers and a motel full of elders, children, and innocent defenseless pedestrians. (Stops pacing) Do you really think you have it in you to forgive a man who caused so much death and pain, in your name, may I add?

Hanru: Kaito is just like me.

Shido: That’s not what I asked you.

Yeah, well I don’t care what you asked me, I don’t have to answer any question from you.

Shido: (Smiles) Really, now. Do you know where you are?

Hanru: I don’t. Kaito knows where we are though. Once I free his shackles, the two of are going to make our great escape out of here- the man who knows his way through dungeons and the boy as his side kick; a cliché Indiana Jones story.

Shido: It’s not going to be that simple getting out of here, Hanru. You need Kaito if you are going to survive this.

Kaito: Boy are you in a pickle, kid cause I’m not helping you with squat.

Shido: So, you don’t want to kill Hanru yourself, Kaito?

Kaito: As long as he’s dead, it doesn’t matter whether or not I be the one to kill him.

Shido: The both of you have something very special waiting for you here in the dungeon. Kaito, you’re going to need some convincing, so I’ll give you two hints- 2, I do.

Kaito: … My family?!

Shido: Wow, I honestly didn’t think you were smart enough to figure that one out so quickly.

Hanru: Hey, Shido… I’m sorry, but I can’t let you go. I cannot risk you killing anyone else.

Shido: So are you going to kill me? Do you think you have the dexterity to do so?

Hanru: I could just be a serial killer that only kills other serial killers. I mean I’ve tried becoming a detective once, but it didn’t quite work out. After I discovered who the killers were, I couldn’t turn them into the police.

Shido: Unfortunately, you’d still be a killer.

Hanru: I’ve always had that darkness inside of me to urge me to kill. But I was able to resist it and not let it consume me.

Shido: Because you know that once you let it out, there’s no going back for you. Your evil will completely control you and your life. It will shape you.

Hanru: Yes, I do. But sometimes, people don’t deserve to live and the police can’t do anything to stop them unless it breaks their laws! Vigilante justice is what I’m calling it. I’ll only kill those who deserve it.

Shido: You can’t control darkness once it infiltrates your mind.

Hanru: As long as I have light in me, darkness will never overcome. I have this light for a reason; to not let darkness consume. If I start to kill for the right reasons the darkness will never takeover. I will be in control of it, Shido.

Kaito: I once thought like that too, kid. Believe me, it won’t work. You choose light; killers go free, if you choose darkness; you kill those who are evil and make the world a better place. I advise you to keep your light. You are light and I am dark; it needs to stay that way. There’s no room in this world for two of the same evils.

Hanru: Since when do you care?

Kaito: Since my family got involved and I realized I’ve truly lost everything. My family is all I have left in this world, and if I’m going to save them, we need to work side-by-side.

Shido (Claps three times) Very good, Kaito. Now you’re starting to get it: You play by my rules when you’re in my world.

Hanru: Kaito, I’m going to shoot your shackles off. Can I trust you not to kill me? No, let me rephrase: Can you trust yourself not to kill me?

Kaito: I can’t give you a serious answer to that.

Hanru: You just did. (Says to Shido) We’re going to find and kill you, Shido.

Kaito: By killing you, I’m doing something right for once. Before I die, I’m doing one good thing with my life.

Shido: (Opens his arms) This is what I wanted. I wanted the two of you working together and realizing how special you are to one another. I don’t plan on dying here today, but if I do… Never mind. You ladies have fun now. (Walks away into the darkness) And by the way, Hanru, I have your perverted friend locked away down here.

(The sound of a closing door is heard.)

Kaito: After we save our people and get out of here, you and I will go our separate ways, do you understand?

Hanru: Kaito, I don’t even think you and I will make it out of here.

Kaito: You will. I know my time is coming soon. My hour glass has been shortened to minutes. I know I’m going to die soon. But if I save you, a part of me will forever live on inside of you. You and I are the same, remember? I’m saving my light so that it may walk down the path I’ve failed to travel. I know that once we get out of here, that demon of mine will come back and try to kill you again. This time it’ll succeed. That is why I’m choosing to stay down here even if we find a way out.

Hanru: … Let me get you out of here, Kaito.

(Isaac’s loft)

(Isaac, Juan, Esteban, and Erika are all in Isaac’s loft. Isaac is lying down in his bed and on his back. There is blood everywhere on his shirt, his bed, and his floor. Erika is standing up beside the bed; staring at a picture Isaac made for Erika. Isaac is dying and sounds weak.)

Isaac: A Phalaenopsis spotted flower is what the painting is.

Erika: Isaac?

Isaac: I can see in your eyes you feel no emotion, but you hurt so much inside. You’ve lost your ability to cry. (Smiles)

Erika: You’re a good friend, Isaac.

Isaac: Erika, I have a surprise for you. Once you and I got here, Juan and Esteban were already in here. I asked you to leave the room for a few minute while the three of us spoke. While we were talking, I made you a picture.

Erika: Where is it?

(Esteban hands Erika the picture.)

Erika: (Looks at the picture) Isaac, I can’t tell what it is; you used too much red paint.

Isaac: (Chuckles) Sorry, that’s my blood.

Erika: Oh... How thoughtful of you, Isaac.

Isaac: (Smiles) What is my blood not good enough for you? It has no MSG, I promise.

(Both laugh for a few seconds.)

Isaac: It’s a rose, Erika; a fully bloomed rose filled with life. It’s time for you to bloom and… live your life. (Cough twice)

Erika: Isaac, we can still save you. We just need to get to a hospital.

Isaac: Erika, I don’t wanna be saved. I’m ready to move on.

Erika: You’re only 28.

Isaac: I love you, Erika, but only as a friend. It’s time you moved on.

Erika: I finally understand you, Isaac. Okay… I know that now it’s time for me to move on. Thank you for being a good friend.

Isaac: I want you to leave now, Erika. I don’t want you to see me die like this.

Erika: (Cracks a smile) It’s too bad, because I am.

Isaac: (Smiles) You always were a good mommy.

Erika: What are you talking about, Isaac?

Isaac: I love you, mommy.

Erika: Oh my, gosh, Isaac, I think you’re going into shock.

Isaac: No! No, Erika… (Whispers) Listen… I… I forgot what I was going to say (Bursts out laughing) Thank you so much for just being so good to me, mommy! I remember that time when his wife murdered me and… you, my daughter, watched me do it! And then, you ran away and he found you. That oh so sweet little girl found you and the two of you were scared. You and him helped each other…

Erika: Isaac, please stop. You’re not making any sense.

(Erika hands Esteban the picture, kneels down to Isaac, and holds his hand with an emotionless face.)

Erika: Are you talking about Oliver and Israel?

Isaac: Yeah, them! I remember you and Israel found each other after running away from home.

Erika: Yeah, I was beat and tortured, and I had to watch my friends die right in front of me. They all hunted me in the wilderness and I barely escaped alive. After I escaped, I met Israel. She was traumatized like me and she told me about how her father Oliver raped and killed her mother right in front of her and that she’s running away from her father.

Isaac: And with nowhere to go, you decided to live with her. And the two of you grew up together like mother and daughter.

Erika: We were more like sisters. But we took care of each other.

Isaac: You were a good big sister. She’s the reason why you stayed. You stayed and endured it all for her. You should tell her that. It’s… over… Erika. You were a good friend, live your own life… Take care of your son…

(Isaac’s head drops. He continues to hold Erika’s hand even after death.)

Erika: (Smiles) Goodbye, friend. Even after death, you stayed with me. (Embraces Isaac)

(Lawrence’s apartment)

(Erika and Israel are talking in the living room alone.)

Erika: I came here, Israel, because I wanted to tell you the truth about why I stayed with your abusive father.

Israel: We never actually say down to talk about it, but I know why you stayed. You did it for me. You lived with my father and I so that you would take the rapes and the beatings and the abuse, so that I wouldn’t have to. Even after you were in so much pain and on the floor bleeding, you found the strength pick yourself up and take more of the abuse so that I would be left alone.

Erika: (Smiles) And then one day, you ran off and killed an animal in the forest. And eventually, some guy tried picking us helpless little girls up and raping us.

Israel: (Chuckles) I pretended to be a frightened little girl. I sat in the corner with my arms wrapped around my legs. And when he was going to start raping you, I grabbed a hammer out of his toolbox and bashed his head in until he stopped screaming. Good times, huh?

(Both chuckle.)

Erika: After that day, you being a killer remained a secret. I taught you how to suppress your emotions and hide the darkness in your eyes, so that your father wouldn’t know you were a killer.

Israel: Then we made our deal: As long as you continued to take the abuse for me, I would teach you how to control your homicidal urges. You taught me how to suppress the darkness, but I stopped it from controlling you.

Erika: I’m very thankful for that.

Israel: I’m trying to avoid killing that coworker of yours.

Erika: I’m guessing you mean Leo right? Leo is the only coworker with a motive to come over here. Where is Lawrence anyway?

Israel: Lawrence has a lot on his mind right now; he needs some space.

Erika: Israel, I’m telling you right now, you cannot kill Leo.

Israel: Than how do I get him off my back?

Erika: I’ll handle it, okay?

Israel: Okay.

(Erika and Israel hug each other.)

(Cabin in the woods)

(Hanru and Kaito push open a basement door that is hidden in the living room floor of a cabin. The cabin is beautiful and well-decorated. Hanru and Kaito get out of the basement and look around the cabin.)

Kaito: This whole time he made us think we were in a dungeon. Man is he good at manipulating minds.

Hanru: We were in a basement this entire time.

Kaito: Where’s my family?

Hanru: We’ll check the house. I’ll go check the back bedrooms and you check the kitchen.

Kaito: Alright, I’m on it.

(Hanru and Kaito split up. Hanru opens up the bedroom door and sees someone lying down under the covers. Hanru looks behind the door to make sure no one is there. Natasha is standing behind it. Her palm has a scar around it and her eye has a patch on it. Her hair is cut short and is a dirty blonde color.)

Hanru: You nearly scared me out of my underwear, Natasha. Where have you been this entire time?

(Hanru walks over to the bed and removed the covers. There is a bunch of pillows neatly positioned. Natasha closes the door. Hanru turns around to Natasha.)

Hanru: You’ve never been so quiet before.

Natasha: You don’t fear me.

(Natasha crosses her arms and Hanru sees a butcher knife in her hand.)

Natasha: Are you surprised to see me alive?

Hanru: What are you talking about? You’ve been in my head for years; talking to me, giving me advice, trying to tempt me to kill. You’ve been alive in my head for years. But you went missing for a few days; where have you been? Let me guess, you were in the underworld partying? I hear they party hard down there.

Natasha: Your head is where I’ve been for the past three years? That explains why my urge to kill you has seized to exist.

Hanru: What are you talking about, Natasha?

Natasha: (Slowly paces) After I was shot, I looked you dead in the eyes and with every ounce of thought I had. I focused all of it on you and in your eyes. I wanted my demons and evil to transfer into your soul and haunt you for as long as you walked this earth and even beyond this earth. Sarah took my body and tried to dispose of me, but then she brought me to Jason on his orders, once she realized I was still alive. He waited for me to wake up, but then it turns out I’ve been in a coma for 3 years.

Hanru: (Nervous) So you’re not just in my head now; you’re real?

Natasha: (Grins) There it is, there’s the fear I love so much. Look, I’m guessing that I ended up somehow transferring my soul or spirit into you by accident when I was looking you in the eyes, but of course that sounds ridiculous an unreal!

Hanru: I can’t believe you’re still alive.

Natasha: Everyone is still alive, you little brat. Oliver, Allen, Ross; all still alive! We just needed a new start in a new state is all. You know your parents are alive too. Your mother just recently woke out of a coma after being shot in her back multiple times.

Hanru: She’s alive?!

Natasha: Yes. You see, what you don’t understand is that your parents were assigned to be killed by our group. We were hired by your uncle, Leo.

Hanru: What?!

Natasha: Let me not confuse you. Leo witnessed Oliver murdering a criminal in cold blood, when Oliver could’ve easily arrested him. Leo agreed to keep his mouth shut, just as long as Oliver did 1 job for him. That one job was to kill your father. Your father was going to nark on your uncle for stealing money at crime scenes and planting evidence. Your uncle and your father never got along anyway, so Leo wanted your father out of the way. When Oliver refused to kill your father, Leo hired someone else to do it. This guy broke into the house and shot your father and mother. And he just barely stabbed you in the chest with a sword. The sword did not go in very deep; that is why you’re still alive today. The guy disappeared. He did harm to the entire family after he was only supposed to kill your father. Leo felt bad that his sister was killed. That is why he can’t connect with others or show he cares about people. It’s because he hasn’t forgiven himself for being responsible for his sister’s death. But what he doesn’t know is that his sister never died. He distanced himself from his brother Kwan, so Kwan never told Leo she was still alive. Kwan didn’t have the money to take care of her medical bills and keep her in the hospital. So a doctor named Peter told us about the situation. Our group has been taking care of her ever since. Mostly Allen and Peter have. Now she’s awake. Lawrence has already talked to her and knows she’s alive and well. Anyway, after we decided to take your parents in and take care of them while they were still in their comas, you showed up several years later. Jason, Allen, Oliver, all new about you. They actually knew about you through researching your parents’ information. They decided to keep you on our good side, cause they thought that one day, you could be used to help us kill one of our most wanted and requested targets.

Hanru: I’m guessing you’re talking about Kaito Zonoda, right?

Natasha: Yep. Jason knew you had the potential to earn Kaito’s trust and get him to lower his guard. Then we were going to kill him.

Hanru: I see. So this whole time, you were waiting for the right moment to kill Kaito?

Natasha: That’s right. Shido works with us as well. He was ordered to indirectly buy out every single one of Kaito’s followers, so when the time was right, they would all turn on him and he would have no one to hide behind. LJ was assigned to do Kaito’s technician stuff and sometimes advise him.

Hanru: So you’re the one who setup Mikhail. You made Mikhail suspicious about a rat in Kaito’s crew. So he would do some solo investigating. You’re the one who set him up to kidnap Kaito’s sister, Nicky. Then you mad LJ suggest me to help find out what happened. And you knew I would figure out right away that it was Mikhail. Then Kaito kills Mikhail and Shido is now Kaito’s right-hand man. So your group set everything up. You planned all of this out.

Natasha: We did. You’re smart for figuring all this out. This is why we kept you around.

Hanru: What is your group, Natasha?! Your group is too secret and too… massive! Who are you people?

Natasha: Jason told you this a long time ago; we were all once assassins. We use to kill politicians in many different countries, but then we were discovered and our people were all killed off. Only a few of us remained alive and we continued to kill as serial killers and not assassins. That’s how we all know how to fake our deaths.

Hanru: Why would you agree to keep my parents alive after all these years?

Natasha: Because Peter is a part of our group as well. He took it personally that your uncle was responsible for nearly killing both of your parents and you.

Hanru: You people…

Natasha: (Scoffs) I take great offense to that.

Hanru: I see you’re just as smart as ever.

Natasha: (Grins) Yeah, we are.

Hanru: I’m going to destroy every one of you people.

Natasha: Watch your back, kid. We are a team of highly trained assassins. Lee’s grandmother Ming taught us a few things.

Hanru: So she’s not dead either?

Natasha: Nope.

Hanru: … So… (Rubs face for a few seconds) You people should all be dead.

Natasha: Well we’re not, so deal with it.

Hanru: I can’t believe what I’m hearing; I can’t believe you’re all still alive!

Natasha: There’s nothing you can do about it.

Hanru: So then, this is it?

Natasha: This is it. Your mother has agreed to help our group grow. She just wishes to see her youngest son one last time. When the moment is right, we will find you.

(Natasha leaves out the door. Kaito is unconscious on the kitchen floor. Shido is standing over him.. Natasha walks in.)

Natasha: Finally, we got him! Let’s celebrate, friend!

Shido: You sure you don’t wanna just kill him right now?

Natasha: Jason is our leader and he would like to do the honors.

Shido: Alright then.

(Hanru’s house)

(Ada is sitting alone in the living room. She finally opens the small jewelry box. Inside is a gold necklace with a half of a heart on it. At the bottom of the box is a white piece of paper. On it is a phone number and an address. Ada calls the number from her cell. Henry answers.)

Henry: Hey, Ada, what’s going on?

Ada: Henry, why was your number in the box?

Henry: What box?

Ada: The box I got from inside the closet of the house where those two women were found dead. I found your number and an address in there.

Henry: Alright well, Ada, text me the address and I’ll meet you at the location, alright? Maybe we can get some answers there.

Ada: Yeah, sure.

(Restaurant)

(Lawrence and LJ are both sitting in a restaurant eating subway sandwiches and having an important discussion.)

LJ: You’d think someplace private would be more appropriate for a discussion as urgent as this.)

Lawrence: Erika and Israel are having an important conversation.

LJ: I thought Israel was moving away from you?

Lawrence: She was- (Bites sandwich) but she realized she has nowhere else to go. She’s going to stay put until the heat with my uncle cools down.

LJ: What is the plan to exactly to kill Kaito?

Lawrence: The group has assured me they will personally handle Kaito. We no longer have to worry about him.

LJ: Then what am I here for?

Lawrence: You’re here to help me kill the group.

LJ: (Whispers) What?!

Lawrence: (Talks softer) We will never truly be free unless the group is dead. We thought we were free three years ago-

LJ: We pledged our loyalty to that group. We need to stand by what we said.

Lawrence: You know how dangerous and unstable the group is. Eventually they will kill Hanru because of what he knows and because of what he has inside of him. Inside of my little brother is a dark light. His darkness wants him to kill; his light wants him to destroy darkness.

LJ: So eventually Hanru’s going to end up being a vigilante serial killer who investigates murders the police don’t know about, and kills the murderers for the darkness inside of them?

Lawrence: That’s right. Jason wants to recruit Hanru, he’s going to push my little brother’s limits until he eventually snaps and becomes one of them. Hanru is smart so Jason can use that to his advantage.

LJ: So you wanna murder the group for your little brother?

Lawrence: I’ve never been a good brother to Hanru. I just want a chance to do something in his favor, even if he’s not aware of it.

LJ: You listen to me, man. The only reason why I’m siding with you on this is because I have a family now. It is my job to protect them. I can’t have a group of serial killers knowing about my family and where they’re at, at all times. I refuse to constantly look over my shoulders and walk on eggshells the rest of my life; worrying I’ll make the wrong step and cause harm to what’s close to me.

Lawrence: Alright. You’re the Robin to my Batman.

LJ: I’m way older and smarter than you; I’m Batman.

Lawrence: (Grins) Alright then, pops; you take on role as Batman.

LJ: That’s what I’m talking about, baby.

(Cabin in the woods)

(Ada and Henry are both hiding in the trees surrounding the cabin Hanru, Shido, Kaito, and Natasha are in. The two of them see Natasha and Shido drag out Kaito’s body toward the black-tinted car in the front yard.)

Henry: (Whispering) What are they doing?

Ada: (Whispering) I don’t know. Should we bust them?

Henry: For doing what?

Ada: (Whispers) Look, they are dragging out a dead body. As cops, I think it is our job to arrest individuals we suspect of disposing a body.

Henry: Wait, that guy looks familiar.

Ada: That’s the guy who took me. His name is Kaito Zonoda- street thug.

Henry: Do you still think we should bust ‘em now?

Ada: I don’t know…

(Natasha and Shido throw Kaito’s body into the trunk. Kaito peaks his eyes open and sees Natasha and Shido looking toward the cabin.)

Natasha: What should we do about the kid?

Shido: We leave him here. When the time comes, he’ll know where to find us.

Natasha: I’m still not understanding why Jason wants the kid to work with us. He’s a liability.

Shido: Orders are orders, right.

Natasha: Right.

(Natasha looks at the ground for a few seconds and thinks. Her mood completely changes and she becomes distant and silent.)

Natasha: Shido, I’m going inside for a while okay. You… do whatever, just don’t bother me.

(Natasha quickly walks inside the cabin. Hanru is standing over the sink in the kitchen with a very depressed look on his face. Natasha stands behind him.)

Natasha: Hanru.

(Hanru waits about 5 seconds before turning around to face Natasha. They both stare at each other for a few seconds. The room grows quiet and still. Natasha slowly walks up to Hanru with her arms open; offering him a hug. Hanru points his pistol at Natasha, but she continues to slowly walk toward him. His eyes are red from holding in tears. Natasha continues to walk closer and closer. She stands in front of him and slowly takes his gun away. She throws it on the floor. She forcefully grabs Hanru and gives him a hug. She buries his face in her chest.)

Natasha: You’re lucky I don’t suffocate you right now, kid.

Hanru: What are you going to do to me?

Natasha: The past three years I have been in a coma. I guess during the time I was knocked out, my soul entered inside you and made me develop this connection with you. That’s the only explanation I can come up with as to why I feel pity for you. I feel like I need to help you.

Hanru: You tried to kill me many times three years ago.

Natasha: What’s your point?

Hanru: There’s nothing you can do to help me. I don’t trust you.

Natasha: It doesn’t matter whether or not you do trust me. I honestly don’t care. I only wish to help you.

(The two of them stop hugging.)

Hanru: and what makes me so special to where you want to save me?

Natasha: You remind me of my son.

Hanru: You had a son?

Natasha: Yeah. I had a daughter too. They were both the perfect little children. They never talked back or did anything deviant. They were good children; But one day… (Shakes her head in silence)

Hanru: What happened to them?

Natasha: I always had this darkness to kill inside of me. When I had my two children, my son was pure and full of life. Before he was born, a special prayer was made to him. I didn’t do the same for my daughter, who was born a year after him. And she was born with the same darkness as me. When she turned 8 years old, her dark behavior started to show. When she turned 9, she murdered her first animal. It was a neighbor’s cat. My husband knew what was happening to her so he… tried to kill our own daughter and me as well. I had no choice, but to murder him to save myself and my daughter. She witnessed what happened… seeing her father get bludgeoned to death with a lamp and stabbed in the heart, made her face light up with so much joy. I’ve never seen my little girl so happy. As a parent, I was conflicted of course. My daughter turned 11 two years later. I taught her only to kill animals, but she wanted something bigger to kill. My son felt her darkness rising and growing stronger, and she felt his light and kindness. So of course, the two of them developed bitter feelings toward one another beyond that of average siblings. And my 12 year old son told me that he was scared of his sister because of how she would stare at him all night and watch him sleep. He warned me that she wanted to hurt him. And I should’ve… made a different choice; because that same night he warned me, she murdered him in his room, while I was still in the house. She killed her brother because of the gift given to him by god- his purity and light. She was so disturbed. After she murdered him, she did something so disturbing to his body and to his private parts.

Hanru: Well… Where is your daughter now, Natasha? What happened to her?

Natasha: (Smiles and giggles) I drowned that demented little witch in a bucket filled with blood she collected from all of the animals she killed, and from a previous little boy she killed before her brother. I didn’t know about him, until I walked into her room in the middle of the night and saw what she did to her brother. She then confessed to me that she killed another little boy and stuffed his body into her toy box. I searched her toy box and found baby bottles filled with blood. She told me that every time she killed something, she saved its blood as a souvenir.

Hanru: So you drowned your own daughter in a bucket of animal blood?

Natasha: I made sure she suffered. I did dunk her head in the bucket a few times till she was choking on blood, but I also did a few other things to her as well. My rage just took over and made me beat her and throw her into the mirror and shove a light bulb into her mouth till it burst and went down her throat. I poured some bathroom cleaner into her eyes as well. She screamed so much and was in so much pain. She began to piss herself. The thought came to mind to just make her piss in the bucket, then once she’s finished, I finish her off in it. But I didn’t do such a thing. While she peed on herself, I held her head into the bucket until she stopped moving. Once I tried disposing of her body one late, late night, I met a man disposing of one of his victims as well. This man was Jason. Since that day, Jason has and I have been close. Jason taught me how to control my evil, but this darkness is too strong for me. It’s unstable and uncontrollable. I’m a permanent slave to this darkness. But you don’t have to be. Like my son, you are pure on the inside. I couldn’t save my son, but I can still save you.

Hanru: You and Kaito both wanted me dead at some point for the light inside me; now the two of you want to protect me for the light inside me.

Natasha: Jason wants you to fall into darkness. But I’ll be here by your side to help protect you. I’ll kill everyone from the group so you don’t have to fall into temptation. Because there’s no salvation for you once you fall down that well of darkness.

Hanru: Natasha…

Natasha: My mind is already gone, Hanru. There’s no hope for me. And you know that.

(Hanru embraces Natasha with a hug so powerful and so rich with love, it cannot be explained in words.)

Hanru: I’m sorry about your kids. (Stops hugging after a few long seconds)

(Shido walks into the kitchen.)

Shido: So you plan on killing everyone in the group, huh? Does this include me as well?

Natasha: Fortunately, it does.

Shido: You forget I still have Kaito’s family and Hanru’s friend Lee locked away in the basement of this cabin. I am the only one who can get them out.

Natasha: Either way, you still need to die.

(Kaito tackles Shido from behind and throws him into the wooden kitchen table. The table collapses under Shido. Kaito grabs the gun that was on the floor and points it at Shido.)

Kaito: The only reason I don’t repaint the walls with your brains is because I need to know where my family is! Now where are they?!

Shido: Fine… I’ll take you to them.

(Ada and Henry both rush into the cabin and point their guns at everyone.)

Ada: Nobody move!

(Everyone turns around and looks at them. Shido uses this opportunity to quickly shove Kaito and run away toward the back door. Ada and Henry both begin shooting at Shido as he runs out the back door.)

Ada: Darn it, he got away!

Natasha: (Angry) You’re cops! How do you let him get away?!

Ada: Wait a minute, I shot you. Three years ago…

Natasha: Good acting, blood packs, and body armor is all it took to fool you idiots into thinking I was dead. Look, Shido is extremely dangerous! Letting him runoff is not the smartest move. We need to go find and kill him right now.

Kaito: What about my family?

Natasha: They’re just gonna have to die.

Ada: Okay, NO! I am a cop! I can’t just let you all go free! You’re all under arrest!

Hanru: Ada, please.

Ada: I’m sorry, Hanru, but this is something I have to do as a cop. I’m afraid I have to arrest you too.

Henry: I’m going after the guy that got away; you handle things here on your own.

Ada: No, wait!

(Henry ignores Ada and charges out the back door. After about 20 seconds of running, Henry finds Shido sitting behind a tree with his thigh bleeding out.)

Shido: Was it you who shot me or that other cop?!

Henry: I don’t know, Shido. (Kneels down beside Shido)

Shido: So what’s your plan to get me out of here?

Henry: I’m going to say you told me where to find Kaito’s family and that kid Lee and I’m going to tell them that I shot you in self-defense. (Points gun at Shido’s head)

Shido: I knew I couldn’t trust you.

(Henry walks back to the cabin with handcuffs on Shido’s wrists. Ada continues to have her gun pointed at everyone. Henry throws Shido down on the ground.)

Natasha: You got him; very nice.

Shido: Your wife and your daughter are safe, Kaito. Lee is safe too. I’ve told Henry where they’re at when he caught me just now.

Kaito: Shido… You and I, man… We were close. We grew up together.

Shido: So we did, Kaito.

Kaito: I’m sorry, but I need to make sure you’re dead.

Shido: I know, Kaito.

Kaito: I’m not gonna kill you yet until I know my family is safe.

Shido: Very well then.

(Everyone walks down into the basement. Behind a bookshelf is a wooden door. Kaito opens it and sees his wife Sandra, his son Daniel, and Lee tied up together on the floor. They’re all dirty and they look dehydrated and weak.)

Kaito: Sandra!

(Kaito runs up to her and puts one hand on her cheek. They are both relieved to see each other.)

Kaito: Sandra, what happened to you, are you hurt?

Sandra: Kaito, I’m sorry.

Kaito: Oh no, baby, you have no reason to be sorry. (Presses his forehead against hers) I should be sorry for not being there for my family. (Looks at Daniel) I’m sorry; I should’ve been there for you.

Sandra: You can’t always be the man of the house, Kaito. You did fine, and so did your son. He protected me and fought for as long as he could. He has your courage. (Smiles)

Kaito: I need to get you two out of here. I need a knife, someone get me a knife.

Shido: A knife won’t save them, Kaito.

Kaito: You don’t say another word!

Shido: Then how will I explain the rules of the game.

Kaito: You think this is a game?!

Shido: Well it’s entertaining and I control what happens, so yes, Kaito; this is a game to me.

Kaito: Alright, I’ve had enough of you! (Points gun at Shido)

Sandra: Kaito, wait! (Coughs)

Kaito: Hold on, Sandra!

(Kaito looks down at the ground and sees Sandra coughed out black blood.)

Shido: (Grins) You’re in my world now, Kaito. Your wife is poisoned with a slow acting toxin. Only I know where the antidote is. And by THE antidote, I mean there’s only one. Your teenage son Daniel and that boy Lee are also infected. Kaito, their fate is in your hands. If you kill me, you’ll never get the antidote. All you have to do is let me walk out of here then I’ll tell you where the cure is. Once you get the cure, you must choose which individual to save. (Chuckles) You better hurry; there’s not much time left.

(Natasha quickly walks up to Kaito and grabs his gun out of his hand. Kaito stands speechless and doesn’t know what to do.)

Natasha: Kaito, are you serious right now? This is what he wants you to think. He wants you to stay in this room long enough for you do die by the poison.

Kaito: Shido, you really got my balls in a vice with this one.

Shido: Save your son, save your wife, or save the life of a boy you don’t even like for being a pedophile.

Lee: Can we please just forget about that already?

Natasha: Kaito, listen to me.

Kaito: I know already! Since the moment we walked into this room, I knew the air was filled with toxins. Everyone in this room is already poisoned.

Natasha: So there’s no need to keep him alive. So let’s just shoot him and get it over with.

Hanru: No! If he plans for all of us to be poisoned once we walked into this room that means he’s poisoned too. He has a second antidote hidden somewhere close by. Maybe it’s on him.

Natasha: I already know what kind of poison he used. And I know how to get the antidote.

Shido: You don’t think I knew you’d figured that out, Natasha? Sure, everyone can be cured, but the Sandra, Daniel, and Lee only have less than half an hour before they die. You don’t have time to save them.

Natasha: (Runs up to Shido and presses the gun up under his chin) You know me, Shido. You know I will press this trigger and splatter your brains out everywhere. I don’t care if these three people die! So why don’t you just tell us right now where the antidotes are, because after your next sentence is finished, you’re gonna die.

(Shido and Natasha stare deep into each other’s eyes for a few seconds.)

Shido: The first antidote is hidden inside of a coffin in the room across from here. This basement has been expanded so there’s a lot of space down here. The second antidote is hidden under some leaves next to the tree where Henry found me.

Hanru: Natasha.

Natasha: What!

Hanru: We can’t kill him until we know for sure the antidotes are there. You know it’s the smart thing to do.

Natasha: (Smiles) I want this guy dead already. Fine, we’ll go check.

Shido: Oh, Kaito. You’ll want to see what remains to be seen inside the coffin.

(Henry uses an axe to cut the lock off of the door across from them. They open up the door and enter a very large room of darkness. In the center of the room is the coffin. Around the coffin on each corner are very tall torches under the torches are shackle. The chains of the shackles are connected to something on the ceiling but it is too dark to see.)

Hanru: (Thinking) I’m guessing I know what comes next.

Shido: Look into the coffin, Kaito; see what’s inside.

(Kaito walks up to the coffin and slowly opens it up. He covers his nose from the awful smell. Kaito looks inside and sees maggots eating away at the flesh of a man. Next to the man is the body of a skeleton. Inside the mouth of the skeleton is a picture. Kaito grabs the picture and examines it. The picture says (Brothers for life” and it shows Kaito and his brother holding a giant sword fish a fishing lure and them hugging each other with bright smiles on their faces.)

Kaito: My brother…

Shido: It took a while, but I managed to dig out his body and put him in her.

Kaito: I remember this picture. This was the only day in my entire life I was truly at peace with no dark thoughts hunting me. My brother and I really bonded that day. He showed me what it meant to truly have a family and cherish them with everything. Life is too short, and sometimes, you just need to forget about your troubles and go have fun.

(Ada is silence with slight depression.)

Shido: The man right beside your brother’s skeleton is the man who provided me with the last antidote.

Natasha: No…

Henry: Please don’t tell me, it’s him.

(Henry and Natasha both run up to the coffin and look inside.)

Henry: Peter…

Hanru: Peter? You mean the doctor Peter?

Natasha: No, wait, that’s not Peter.

Shido: Who it is doesn’t matter. But you need to know that the antidote is inside of him. The maggots ate their way through most of his stomach so it shouldn’t be too hard getting your hand through there.

Kaito: You went too far.

Shido: (Smiles) Kaito, I didn’t go far enough. You haven’t seen anything yet.

Natasha: I’m sorry, Kaito. Whether or not you forgive me doesn’t matter. But I know this guy’s capacity for danger. After seeing this art piece of his, I realize he doesn’t deserve to live. So I’m ending this now.

Kaito: No! Let me do it. I want to be the one to kill him.

Natasha: Alright. (Offer him the gun)

Kaito: I’ve got a better idea in mind. Is there a nail gun down here anywhere?

(A few minutes have passed. Shido’s arms and legs have been nailed to the top of the coffin. Kaito stands over his body.)

Shido: This is new, even for you, Kaito.

(Hanru stands on the other side of the coffin and stares down at Shido.)

Hanru: Shido, you’re in our game now.

Kaito: Here are the rules…

Hanru: There’s only one rule to this game, so all you have to do is follow it, and things will go smoothly.

Kaito: The rule is... that you die.

Hanru: Kaito here will be the one to kill you; I’m just a big fan of roasts.

Shido: (Grins) Roasts, huh? So you plan on burning me?

Kaito: We got the two antidotes and everyone left the basement already. Lee and my son were the ones we decided to save. My wife is still alive, but she doesn’t have much time left.

Shido: I suppose I can relate to her situation right now.

Hanru: Watching you die will be enough to satisfy my darkness, Shido. I just wish I could see an encore.

Shido: I’m satisfied with my own death. I’m killed by a close friend of mine, and I get to see the two of you working together. You two make a good duo.

Kaito: We’re one in the same.

(Kaito and Hanru both look at each other and smile. The two of them then begin to act sarcastic and goofy.)

Hanru: (Looks down at Shido.) Hmm… Burning you alive seems too easy, Shido.

Kaito: You know, Hanru, I think you’re right. (Snaps fingers) I think I have an idea.

Hanru: We throw him in a swamp and let the gators have their way with him?

Kaito: He’ll die too quickly. That’ll go against to point of us thinking of a new way to kill him.

Hanru: Oh that’s right, duh. Boy, I’m just so stupid sometimes.

Kaito: I say we lock him inside the coffin and set the whole place on fire.

Hanru: Then he’ll burn slowly.

Shido: Whatever just get it over with already.

Kaito: Hey, Shido, do we still have those jars of acid back in the warehouse? No we don’t! Do you know why; because you brought them here to this cabin to torture another one of your victims!

Shido: Oh, so you found her? No wonder why you’re here, Hanru. She was a lost soul and I figured that bringing her here would maybe give me an ace up my sleeve. Oh well, she’s alive and I’m dead. Let’s just move on to the next step.

Hanru: Are you talking about Debbie?

Shido: Oh, so you didn’t find her? Looks like I still have the ace. Debbie is hidden down here somewhere.

Hanru: (Worried) You’re a dead man, Shido; where is she?!

Shido: (Chuckles) A dead man never talks.

TO BE CONTINUED…